1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the art of receivers of broadcast signals and data, such as traditional analog radio receivers, digital radio receivers, televisions, and wired and wireless web receivers. More specifically, this invention relates to automotive receivers which automatically tune themselves according to a user's preferences and the state indicators of the automobile.
2. Description of the Related Art
There are many types of broadcast receivers available in the art today, including radios, televisions, and wireless web receivers. With the advent of Internet broadcast video and broadcast radio channels such as Net Channels and Net Radio by Netscape, even a web browser connected to a wired network can be considered a broadcast receiver of sorts. Thus, not all broadcast receivers are necessarily wireless receivers, but in general it can be said that all broadcast receivers are of the nature that they receive and present information to a user in a unidirectional manner.
Turning to FIG. 1, the general architecture of a typical radio (10) is shown. A broadcast signal (1) is received by the radio (10) through an antenna (2). A tuner/receiver (3) decodes a signal from a selected frequency and band, and outputs that signal to an audio amplifier (7). In turn, the audio amplifier (7) produces a signal to drive a speaker (8), creating sound which is audible by a user. Most modern radios include a controller (4), such as a microprocessor or microcontroller, which may select a frequency and a band for the tuner/receiver (3) to decode. Indicators from the tuner/receiver (3) back to the controller may include station lock and stereo detected. The controller typically has associated with it a memory (4′) for use by the firmware or software executed by the controller, and for storing user preferences such as the stations assigned to preset keys on the radio.
A typical radio also has a keypad (5), which can be monitored by the controller for user input, and a display (6), such as an alphanumeric LCD display, which can be driven by the controller. On the keypad there are typical preset keys such as preset 1 through preset 6. A typical radio will allow a user to assign a specific frequency or station to each key pad preset key. For example, preset key 1 may be assigned to the favorite radio station of a user, such that the user may quickly tune the radio to the favorite station by a single press of preset key 1. The controller stores this selection in a list in memory (4′). Most radios display the frequency of the currently selected station, or the time from a clock on the display (6).
More advanced radios include an information channel decoder (9) for services such as the Radio Broadcasting Data Service (“RBDS”) for United States markets or Radio Data Service (“RDS”) in European markets. In these services, an information channel is broadcast by the station on an inaudible modulated sub-carrier, or on a separate carrier signal. Certain data is provided within the information channel data stream, such as the station's call letters, a song title or artist name, and a broadcast content or “format tag” (e.g. classical, rock, news, jazz, talk, etc.). After this information is decoded, it may be used by the radio's controller for display to the user.
Some radios include a “weather band” which allows them to receive a weather-related broadcast such as the programs from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (“NOAA”). NOAA broadcasts two types of programs in most areas: an analog audio channel through which verbal weather conditions and forecasts are presented, and a digital system which includes a digital information channel (in addition to an audio channel) which contains county indicators and specific warnings and alerts (e.g. tornado warning, flash flood watches, freeze alerts, etc.)
Such radios are readily available from major manufacturers of radios such as Blaupunkt, Alpine, Panasonic, and others. Additionally, standard chip set or semiconductor solutions for implementing radio receivers such as these are available from well-known semiconductor manufacturers, including Philips Semiconductors.
Most receivers are provided with several preset keys in the keypad. They may also have a key that cycles through one or more banks of preset memories, such as three FM band preset banks and one AM band preset bank. For example with 6 preset keys, a user may configure the radio with up to eighteen favorite FM stations and six favorite AM stations. However, most users are unable to remember eighteen stations assigned to eighteen key selections, and thus the FM banks 2 and 3 may go practically unused.
Radio listeners often listen to the same radio stations under certain circumstances, particularly while in an automobile. For example, a user might listen to the weather report on one station, the traffic report on another, and the news on yet a third. Because these broadcasts occur during certain times of the day such as the drive in to work or drive home, the user may select these programs and broadcasts on a fairly regular timed basis on certain days, such as Monday through Friday.
It is a distraction to the driver to make these station changes while operating the vehicle, yet this routine takes place every morning as the user drives to work, and each evening when returning home.
Still more distracting is when the driver must deviate from his normal routine in listening, such as when the driver is transporting young children or a spouse. For example, a given male driver may prefer to listen to a sports talk station normally during the morning commute. When this male driver is tasked to drive the children to school, it may be undesirable to play such programming in the car as the language used in the show may be inappropriate for younger listeners. As such, during this particular drive, the driver must try to tune the radio to a more family-oriented broadcast using the radio's seek, scan or tune controls, which can be even more distracting than executing his routine station changes. A similar situation may occur when the driver is traveling with his spouse in the passenger seat, who may want to listen to a musical program instead of a sports talk show.
In the related patent applications, systems and methods for automatically turning on the radio and tuning it by content tags for the broadcasts were disclosed. While these are useful improvements in the art, they do not address this particular problem to its full extent.
Therefore, there is a need in the art for a system and method which is more convenient, useful, and safe particularly in an automobile, to automatically select broadcast stations and signal sources based on conditions and states of a vehicle, including the time of day, day of the week, occupancy of the vehicle (driver identity, lone driver, driver with front-seat passenger, driver with rear-seat passengers, etc.), location of the vehicle (downtown, highway, suburbs, etc.), and weather conditions. Further, there exists in the art a need for a method to establish such an automatic tuning sequence and a related rule set easily and conveniently. Ideally, the new system and method would include in its available resources not only broadcast stations and sources (e.g. web addresses, channels, etc.), but also locally provided signal sources such as a compact disc, digital versatile disc (“DVD”), MP3 memory, or cassette player.